GB1598528A - Coin box and vault assembly - Google Patents

Description

PATENT SPECIFICATION

> ( 21) Application No 23722/78 ( 22) Filed 30 May 1978 If ( 31) Convention Application No ( 32) Filed 19 Jan 1978 in 870715 ( 33) United States of America (US) mn ( 44) Complete Specification published 23 September 1981 ( 51) INT CL 3 G 07 F 9/06 ( 52) Index at acceptance G 4 V BC ( 54) A COIN BOX AND VAULT ASSEMBLY ( 71) We, CUBIC WESTERN DATA, of 5650 Kearney Mesa Road, San Diego, California, U S A, a Corporation, organised under the laws of the State of California, U S A, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the

following statement:-

The present invention relates to coin collection systems and pertains particularly to a lockable coin box and vault assembly.

The collection and transportation of money such as coins and the like from coin receiving machines, and coin operated machines such as vending machines and the like has been a problem for some time The major problem with such systems is providing a secure system for preventing pilferage.

While many systems have been proposed for collecting and transporting coins from vending machines and the like to central receiving or banking vaults, these systems have some drawbacks.

One approach to such collection and transportation is the collection of coins into a box which is automatically locked upon removal from the machine, and which must be transported to and inserted into a collection or banking machine in order to unlock the coin box One drawback to such collection boxes is that they tend to jam when filled with coins thereby preventing the locking of the coin box Another drawback to such systems is that the locking system uses a simple key for unlocking and thus can be picked.

In many such constructions the coin box comprises a cylindrical box which is rotatable within the receiving vault housing for the locking and unlocking procedure This requires that the entire box be rotated within a housing which is sometimes difficult.

Another problem with such prior art construction is that a door is provided which slides over a coin receiving opening in the housing upon rotation of the housing.

Because of the construction such that the outer housing rotates relative to the door, the door can become jammed due to coins.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved coin box and vault ( 11) 1 598 528 assembly Therefore according to the present invention there is provided a coin box and vault assembly for use in combination with a coin operated machine, said box comprising:

an outer cylindrical housing having coaxial bores formed in the end walls thereof and a coin opening in the side wall thereof, an inner cylindrical housing mounted within the outer housing and having coaxial journal means journaled within the coaxial bores for relative rotation therein and a coin opening in the side wall thereof which can be aligned with the opening in the outer housing for the passage of coins therethrough; lock means for locking the inner and outer housings into a locked position against relative rotation with said openings out of alignment; a vault housing having a chamber for receiving the box, and chamber and unlocking the inner housing for permitting relative rotation therebetween for alignment of the coin openings.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the coin vault and housing separated; Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view as taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1, with the coin vault partially inserted in the housing; Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2, but with the vault fully inserted and locked in the housing; Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of Figure 7; Figure 10 is a sectional view similar to Figure 9, but with the retaining mechanism unlocked; and Figure 11 is a schematic layout of the interlock circuit.

Turning now to the drawings, particularly to Figure 1, there is illustrated a lockable coin 1 598 528 box, designated generally by the numeral 10, for insertion into a vending machine or bank vault housing designated generally by the numeral 12 The coin box 10 is mounted in a vending or other coin receiving machine (not shown) within a housing such as 12 for receiving coins from the machine and transporting the coins from the machine or collection box to a central bank or collection area The coin box 10 automatically locks upon removal from the housing of the collection box and must be returned to a similar box in order to open the box for discharge of the coins therefrom.

The coin box comprises an outer cylindrical 1 housing defined by inner and outer generally circular end walls 14 and 16 connected together by a cylindrical side wall 18 The side wall 18 terminates short of the entire circumference of the housing, thereby defining on opening 20 for receiving coins and the like This opening is of a generally rectangular configuration and is small relative to the entire circumference of the outer housing The end walls 14 and 16 each include coaxial cylindrical bores 22 and 24, respectively, in which an inner housing is rotatably journaled.

The inner housing comprises a pair of end walls 26 and 28 of a generally flat circular configuration, connected together by a cylindrical wall 29, thereby defining an inner cylindrical housing An opening 30 is provided in the inner wall 29 for selective alignment with the opening 20 in the outer wall, for passage of coins and the like therethrough The inner housing includes a shaft 32 extending through bore 24 and journaled in a bearing 34 therein A handle 36 in the form of a rod extending through the shaft 32, provides means for applying a torque to the inner housing for rotation thereof.

A journaling and locking lug 40 is secured to the wall 26 of the inner housing such as by means of a plurality of bolts 42 and includes a journal portion 44 for rotation within bore 22 A flange 46 overlaps the wall surrounding the bore 22 The locking lug 40 includes a stop portion 48 and a pair of outer semicircular locking lugs 52, as best seen in Figure This locking lug cooperates with a locking bracket on the vault housing for locking the coin box into the vault housing during unlocking of the coin box.

The coin box includes locking means for locking the inner housing against rotation within the outer housing This locking means comprises a plurality of bores 54 in the inner housing that align with a plurality of bores 56 in the outer housing when the openings 20 and 30 are out of registration or alignment.

A pair of locking pins or tumblers 58 and 60 are disposed within the bores and are biased by a spring 62 into a locking position as shown in Figure 2 The springs are held in place by a cover plate 61 These tumblers or locking pins 58 and 60 are such that the pin or tumbler 60 is shorter than the bore 56, so as to permit locking tumbler 58 to slide beyond the face between the two walls 14 and 26 of the inner and outer housings This locking pin then prevents relative rotation between the two 70 housings A plurality of these locking tumbler arrangements may be arranged circumferentially around the axis of the housings and the relative lengths of tumblers 60 may be altered to alter the combination Each locking pin 60 is axially 75 slidable in a cylindrical boss 59 projecting from wall 14 An opening 57 in the end of each box 59 permits the insertion of an unlocking pin for biasing pin 60 to the position to force locking pin 58 out of the bore 56, such that 80 the ends of the pins 58 and 60 are aligned at the interface between walls 14 and 26 to permit rotation of the inner housing in the outer housing.

The just described coin box is adapted to fit 85 within the housing 12 and is adapted to engage a locking bracket having key means for unlocking the locking means between the inner and outer housings The housing 12 is of a generally boxlike construction having a 90 bottom 64, a pair of side walls 66 and 68 and a top 70 The top 70 is provided with an opening 72 for passing coins or the like therethrough The bottom, side and top walls are all connected to end walls 74 and 76 The end 95 wall 76 includes a circular opening 78 for receiving the coin box 10 The end walls are further connected together by a plurality of pins 80, which also serve as guide and support means for the box 10 for passing into the 100 housing.

A locking and unlocking bracket 82 is secured to the end wall 74 by a suitable means such as a plurality of screws 84 The bracket is coaxial with a circular opening 86 formed in 105 the wall 74 The bracket includes a pilot shaft 88 cooperative with a pilot bore 90 within the locking lug 40, as shown in Figures 7,9 and 10.

The bracket includes a pair of semicircular flange members 92 and 94 for receiving the 110 locking lugs 52 when the coin box is rotated clockwise in the housing The flanges also include stop surfaces 95 for cooperating with the flat stop surfaces 48 This limits rotation of the coin box within the housing The 115 bracket 82 also includes a plurality of unlocking pins for engaging the tumbler pins within the coin box for unlocking the lock therebetween.

As best seen in Figures 4 and 7, the locking 120 and unlocking apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of cooperating locking pins mounted in the cylindrical housings as previously described, and a plurality of unlocking pins mounted on the bracket 82 as 125 previously described As seen in Figure 5, for example, the locking pins between the two rotating cylindrical housing are arranged unevenly about the axis of the housings.

Alternatively, they may be arranged in a 130 1 598 528 uniform selective pattern In any event, the annular arrangement can be one factor affecting the combination of the lock.

The unlocking system comprises a plurality of pins 96 which are mounted on the bracket 82 and protrude axially therefrom to fit into openings 57 and engage pins 60 End wall 74 has openings 98 concentric with pins 96 to receive the bosses 59 and so align openings 57 with the pins 96 as the coin box is inserted.

The pins 96 are selected to have individual lengths which cooperate with the lengths of the pins 60 in each of the locking mechanisms to unlock the locking means The combination of the lengths of each pin 96 and the cooperating pins 60 is equal to the distance that will be sufficient to push the end of each pin 60 to the end of the bore in wall 14, to permit rotation between the cylindrical housings, as in Figure 7 The lengths of the unlocking pins and the tumblers can be selected to change the combination of the lock.

The housing 12 includes an additional lock for locking the coin box within the housing This lock, indicated in Figure 3 at 110, includes a key operated lever 112 which may be movable downward in front of the coin box when in position, such that only someone with a key to this lock can remove the coin box 10 from the housing 12.

The above described coin box and locking assembly may be utilized in any number of coin operated or coin receiving machines It may also be used in other money receiving installations and may even be adapted to receive cash or bills instead of merely coins.

In utilization of the apparatus the housing member or assembly 12 will be mounted in a coin or money receiving machine and the opening 72 connected to a money chute 114 as shown in Figure 8 Preferably the machine includes an inner lock system such that the machine will not function without the presence of the coin box assembly Additionally in the preferred arrangement the coin machine will not operate with the coin box 10 completely full Suitable sensing circuitry may be provided for covering these features When the money is collected in the coin operated machines it passes by way of the chute or tube 114 into the coin box 10 When the coin box is full or it is desired to remove the coins therefrom, the handle 36 is simply rotated counterclockwise for rotating the inner housing approximately 60 degrees with respect to the outer housing, as best seen in Figure 3, for moving the opening 30 in the inner housing out of alignment with the opening 20 of the outer housing This simultaneously rotates the lug 40 out of engagement with the bracket 82, as in Figure 10, such that the coin box may then be removed from the housing upon unlocking of the lock 110 As soon as the coin box is moved out of engagement with the locking bracket 82 the pins 96 come out of engagement with pins 60 in the box locking assembly, thus the inner and outer housing become immediately locked against relative rotation The coin box and its contents may then be taken to a central receiving and 70 accounting office for accounting purposes.

In order to remove the coins an assembly including the unlocking bracket arrangement of 32 must be provided Thus a housing assembly similar to housing 12 may be 75 provided in the cash or money receiving station for opening and removing the coins from the coin box In such an arrangement the housing 12 may be inverted from its former position such that upon alignment of 80 the openings in the inner and outer housing within the housing 12 the coins will drop out of the box into a chute or opening such as 72.

With the inner housing being a full housing rotatable within the outer housing, a load of 85 coins therein does not interfere with the rotation thereof relative to the outer housing.

Thus the coin receiving opening 20 can easily be closed and opened by rotation of the inner housing With this arrangement a simple, 90 effective and secure coin box and vault assembly is provided.

Preferably an interlock system is provided that prevents the coin machine from accepting coins either ( 1) when the coin box is not in 95 position, or ( 2) when the coin box is full This interlock system is best illustrated in Figure 11 and comprises an electrical circuit including a conductor 114 interrupted by a normally open switch 116 which is actuated to the closed 100 position by rotation of the coin box into its locked position.

This circuit also includes means for sensing the level of coins above a certain level in the box considered the full level This sensing means 105 comprises a light emitter 118 and a light sensor connected in the circuit such as in series with the switch 116 This circuit is connected into a coin handling mechanism control 122.

This interlock circuit functions when broken 110 to place the coin handling mechanism into a non-acceptance mode so that it rejects coins or the like placed in the machine The coin handling mechanism 122 may be of any suitable type readily available on the market The coin 115 handling mechanism 122 is connected in the machine to receive coins and let them pass along chute 114 into the coin box 10.

In the preferred embodiment the light beam mechanism is positioned in the housing 120 12 as illustrated in Figure 8 so that a light beam from light emitter 118 can be broken either by the level of coins in the box or nonalignment of a series of bores 124, 126 and 128, in the outer and inner walls 18 and 29 125 Thus, when the coin box is either ( 1) full, or ( 2) the inner and outer housings thereof are out of coin acceptance alignment, the light beam will be broken and the machine deactivated 130 1 598 528 The switch 116 is preferably mounted in a position as shown in Figures 7 through 10 within bracket 82 to be engaged and closed by one of the locking lugs 52 as the coin box is rotated into the locked position within the housing.

Claims (13)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1 A coin box and vault assembly for use in combination with a coin operated machine, said box comprising:

an outer cylindrical housing having coaxial bores formed in the end walls thereof and a coin opening in the side wall thereof; an inner cylindrical housing mounted within the outer housing and having coaxial journal meansjoumaled within the coaxial bores for relative rotation therein and a coin opening in the outer housing for the passage of coins therethrough; lock means for locking the inner and outer housings into a locked position against relative rotation with said openings out of alignment; a vault housing having a chamber for receiving the box; and means in the chamber for simultaneously locking the box in the chamber and unlocking the inner housing for permitting relative rotation therebetween for alignment of the coin openings.

2 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 1, wherein the lock means comprises a plurality of bores formed in adjacent walls of the inner and the outer housing; and spring biased pin means disposed in the bores and normally extending between and locking said walls against relative rotation.

3 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 1, wherein said means for locking the box in the chamber comprises a bayonette type coupling between the box and a wall of the chamber.

4 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 2, wherein the unlocking means comprises a plurality of pins in the chamber for engaging the spring biased pins in the plurality of bores for biasing the spring biased pins into a retracted position.

The coin box and vault assembly of claim 4, wherein one of said journal means comprises a shaft extending beyond the end wall of the outer housing, with a handle secured to the shaft for rotating the inner housing.

6 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 5, wherein the other of said journal means includes semi-circular flange means for engaging bracket means in the vault housing for locking the box in the chamber.

7 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 6, wherein the vault housing includes a coin opening, the coin box is receivable in the chamber only with the coin opening of the outer cylindrical housing in alignment with the coin opening of the vault housing, and the flange means and bracket means permits rotation of the inner housing between the locked position and a position with the coin opening thereof in alignment with the coin opening in the outer housing.

8 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 1, further including interlock means responsive to rotation of the coin box into locking position with alignment of the coin openings for activating a coin handling mechanism during use.

9 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 8, wherein the interlock means includes a circuit including a switch activated by the means for locking the box in the chamber.

The coin box and vault assembly of claim 1, further including coin responsive means responsive to a predetermined level of coins in the box for deactivating a coin handling mechanism during use.

11 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 10, wherein the coin responsive means comprises a control circuit including a light beam, the light beam being located in a position to be broken by coins in the box above said predetermined level.

12 The coin box and vault assembly of claim 11, wherein the light beam is projected through aligned openings in the inner and outer housings of the coin box adjacent to and slightly below the coin opening.

13 A coin box and vault assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

WITHERS & ROGERS Chartered Patent Agents 4 Dyer's Buildings, Holborn, London, EC 1 N 2 JP Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by MULTIPLEX techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent 1981 Published at the Patent Office, 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC 2 l AY, from which copies may be obtained.